New Array Monitors Seismic Activity near the Gulf of California in Mexico
Abstract
The Gulf of California rift forms a geologically young and active plate boundary that links the San Andreas strike-slip fault system in California to the oceanic spreading system of the East Pacific Rise. Although this is a classical example of a transform-rift plate boundary, the tectonic evolution of the Gulf of California and surrounding regions is complex and poorly understood due to a lack of geological and geophysical data. In 2002, the Network of Autonomously Recording Seismograph-Baja network was installed. It consists of 19 broadband seismic stations deployed in the Baja-California and Sonora provinces of Mexico. Since NARS-Baja surrounds the Gulf of California rift system, it is ideal for constraining earthquake faulting processes and the crust-mantle structure of the region. Moreover, NARS-Baja, in combination with permanent Mexican and U.S. arrays, forms a unique linear array in excess of 4000 km that should lend itself ideally to seismological studies of the North American-Pacific plate boundary on a larger scale. NARS-Baja is planned to operate for at least 5 years. To promote involvement from the entire research community, the data collected from the stations will be made available immediately following routine data quality checks.
- Publication:
-
EOS Transactions
- Pub Date:
- 2003
- DOI:
- 10.1029/2003EO040002
- Bibcode:
- 2003EOSTr..84...29T
- Keywords:
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- Seismology: Instruments and techniques;
- Seismology: Earthquake parameters;
- Seismology: Seismicity and seismotectonics